When the viking met the Scott
by jennabaggins
Summary: When the vikings Berk catch word that the princess of Dunbroch is set to marry in less than a month, they plan to attack before the combined Scottish army is strong enough to drive them away. They decide to send Hiccup to spy on them and be an informant to tell them when is the best time to attack. But when he meets Merida, will he betray his family?
1. Chapter 1

Today was just an average day in Berk. Cold and gloomy; what else was new. Hiccup had been roaming around aimlessly until the town meeting. Everyone seemed to have a job, except for Hiccup. He was used to this though. He had always managed to get stuck with the least important jobs, which was not something that was helping his mood today. Last night he and Astrid had broken up the other night and she was already with Snotlout. Hiccup walked out to the cliff of Berk to think. He sat on the edge of the cliff, staring out into the ocean to watch the fishing ships come in for the meeting. Hundreds of muscular Vikings stomped off their ships, slightly waterlogged from their sea adventures.  
Hiccup noticed something in the distance and squinted his eyes to get a better view, but it was no use. Just then Toothless flew in and landed gracefully next to his rider. Hiccup turned to smile at the black dragon and reached into the dragon's pouch attached to his saddle to pull out his telescope. Some of the trader ships were coming in too. They weren't due back for months.  
Suddenly Hiccup knew why they were coming in. This had to do with the Scotts. The Vikings had been at war with the Scotts since before Hiccup was born. Honestly, he didn't know why they were at war with them he just knew he was supposed to hate them.  
From the distance, there was a horn blowing signaling everyone in Berk to get to the town hall. Hiccup got up from his perch and balanced himself on his fake leg, with some help from Toothless.  
The dragon looked at him expectantly.  
"I think I'll walk buddy. I'll see you back at home, okay?" He said, patting Toothless's nose. The dragon nudged his hand lightly and took off into the sky.  
After about 5 minutes of walking through the woods, Hiccup came upon the old town hall with Vikings still shuffling in. Through the crowd he spotted Astrid and Snotlout walking arm in arm, sending a knife through his chest.  
He sighed and entered the building, taking a seat near the back.  
"QUIET! Everyone quiet!" Stoick shouted.  
Everyone fell silent.  
"Right. Today, the Scotts have announced that their daughter is set to get married today. They're holding a competition to see who will win her hand."  
Hiccup sighed, all this information seemed pointless to him. His mind began to wonder if there was some way for him to sneak out without getting caught.  
Everyone else seemed to be enraged. Axes were being thrown, shouts of protest were booming through, curses were being tossed in every direction.  
Hiccup buried his head in his hands. He didn't want to be here.  
"ENOUGH!" Stoick shouted.  
"What's the big deal anyway?" Ruffnut shouted, a few rows in front of Hiccup.  
"Why do we care if some spoiled princess gets married or not?" Tuffnut yelled from beside his sister.  
"We care because all the Scotts in that area are against us. The second their daughter is married they now have the army force to kick us out of our land!"  
More shouts of protest followed.  
"How do you expect us to stop this?"  
"WE CAN'T LET THIS HAPPEN!"  
"What do you plan on doing about this?"  
Stoick threw his chair against the wall to silence everyone. "The only option we have is to attack Dunbroch before the suitors come. Now we need all available warriors over the age of 20 to stay in the hall to plan a strike attack."  
All the teenagers in the hall quickly got out of the hall to leave the soldiers to talk.  
Hiccup got home quickly, wanting to avoid any contact from people who knew about him and Astrid.  
He opened his front door and was greeted by Toothless. "Hey buddy." He petted the dragon's head and went to get him his dinner.  
After about 20 minutes, Hiccup heard Stoick and Gobber arguing and heading toward the front door.  
"- He could handle it?"  
"I don't know. But what other choice do we have? The tournament for the girl's hand will start in less than a month we have to do something!"  
"Stoick, listen to me for a second. Even if he can do it, what then? What do you expect him to do?"  
"We don't even know if he'll do it!"  
"If he thinks it'll make you proud of him he will, and you know it!"  
The loud footsteps stopped suddenly, followed by a loud sigh.  
"Gobber… You know more than I do I don't want to send him. If they catch him they'll use him against us and drive us out of here. But Toothless is the fastest dragon on the island and he has the best chance of escaping. Hiccup is our only option."  
Silence. Hiccup sat out in their main room and pretended he was busy with Toothless so they wouldn't suspect anything. He patted the dragon's head, and scratched under his chin when Hiccup heard his father's large hand push the door open.  
"Hiccup, we need to talk." Stoick said, barely able to make eye contact with his only son.  
"Sure, dad." Hiccup said, taking a seat on the floor next to Toothless.  
Stoick motioned for Gobber to sit down, in case he needed back-up, "Hiccup… There… There's something… Something dangerous I need to ask you for."  
Hiccup looked to Gobber, who wasn't making eye contact with him, "Um… Okay."  
Stoick looked into his cupped hands, trying to find the answers there, "We need you and Toothless to go to Dunbroch to spy on their kingdom."


	2. Chapter 2

Hiccup stared at the muscular Viking in front of him.  
"Me? You want… Me?" He looked to Toothless who sat content with a fish.  
"You're the only one who would be able to get out of a tough situation quickly. I know it's dangerous, but I have faith that you can do it." Stoick admitted.  
Hiccup looked around to his best friend who had rested his head against the young Viking's leg. He patted the onyx dragon's head. He turned his attention back to his father.  
"I'll do it."

Within the next day, everyone in Berk knew about Hiccup's mission. Everyone had decided to ban together and help prepare him. His father had told him to go to Gobber to get his newly sharpened weapons. He was just nearing Gobber's work when he felt someone drag him into the woods nearby.  
They easily dragged him the 10 or so feet and tossed him on the ground in front of them. He hit his back against a rock and had the wing knocked out of him. Hiccup caught his breath quickly and turned to see who had grabbed him. It was Astrid.  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" She put her hands on her hips and stared angrily down at the young Viking.  
Seeing who had grabbed him, he quickly (and a bit awkwardly) stumbled to his feet, "Why do you care what I do? _We're _no longer a concern!"  
"That doesn't mean I'm not worried. Hiccup, you could be killed if the Scotts catch you! If this has something to do with the break up-"  
"YOU THINK I'M PETTY ENOUGH TO DO SOMETHING THIS RISKY BECAUSE OF OUR BREAK UP?!" Hiccup yelled. Yes, he was normally the meek, underdog but when Astrid had immediately assumed he was risking his neck because of their break up, it struck a raw nerve.  
"I don't know Hiccup! You can be impulsive!"  
Hiccup raked his fingers through his hair, "Astrid… I'm going to Dunbroch. It has nothing to do with you. I'm doing this for me." He said as calmly as he could, and started to walk away.  
He felt a tug on his arm, "Hiccup… Listen to me. This war is deeper than any of us know. You think they'll spare you if you get caught? They'll kill you if they have the chance." He then felt the small Viking bury her face in his shoulder, and her arms wrap around his waist, "Don't go."  
Hiccup's heart race sped up, faster than he had ever known. He couldn't bring himself to return the hug. He didn't even know what to say; nothing was going to stop him. He gently pushed the girl away and continued walking off.  
"FINE! GO! SEE IF I CARE!" He heard Astrid yell in a broken voice.  
He didn't turn around, and finally made his way to Gobber's.

Today was the day, the day Hiccup was finally going to Dunbroch. They Vikings had even managed to get him less Viking-esc clothes so he could blend in.  
Hiccup was just attaching the last of his equipment when he felt a large hand crash down on his shoulder, causing his knees to buckle.  
"Hiccup… If… If you feel like you're about to get caught… You don't have to stay. Just come home." Stoick said from behind his son.  
Hiccup nodded, "I will." He smiled up at his father, whose eyes were getting a bit misty.  
"Just be careful." He said, placing both hands on his son's shoulders.  
Hiccup nodded, and climbed on his trusty dragon, "Bye, dad." He smiled down at his father.  
"Good luck, son." Stoick said, smiling proudly up at his son.  
And with that, Hiccup and Toothless were flying high in the sky on their way to Dunbroch, "You ready for an adventure, buddy?" Hiccup whispered down to his dragon.

Around sunset, the cliff of Dunbroch came into view, "Fly closer to the tree line." Hiccup instructed his dragon.  
Toothless obliged and flew closer to the tree line to stay safely out of view.  
The castle was a safe distance away with little chance of anyone coming out this far into the woods, and it was close enough to the ocean for Hiccup to catch some fish for Toothless "Time to land, buddy." Hiccup said, helping Toothless land with his prosthetic leg.  
Toothless safely landed beside a thick oak tree, and fell asleep almost immediately after landing. Hiccup jumped off the dragon and patted his head, walking around to get his bearings.  
He found a small hill that led to a small shore with easy access to fish. Hiccup sighed, taking in the scent of the ocean. Up on his high left he could see the castle of Dunbroch. He could see lights being strung, and tents filled with people.  
_Looks like a party… Well, what better way to see the people than with a party? _Hiccup thought.  
He made his way back up to his sleeping dragon and detached his supplies from the dragon's pack, grabbed his fishing basket and his change of clothes. He quickly ran back to his private fishing hole, caught a basketful of fish for Toothless, and left the basket near the dragon's head.  
Hiccup had just finished changing into a dark blue tunic (much like his green one) with a light grey vest, brown pants, and his same boots when Toothless woke up. The dragon scarfed down his fish and was preparing to leave with Hiccup when the young Viking stopped him by placing his hand on the dragon's nose.  
"Sorry, buddy. I'm trying to blend in and a giant dragon won't help. I'll be back soon." Hiccup promised.  
The dragon snorted in protest but decided it'd be more interesting to catch up on sleep instead.  
Hiccup looked back once at the dragon and continued on his way to the castle.

It took Hiccup 15 minutes to walk to the castle from where he and Toothless were staying, and it appeared he came mid-party.  
Everyone was running around and having a good time. It seemed like they were celebrating something but Hiccup couldn't tell what. No one was saying any greetings, they were simply slapping each other on the back and drinking… A lot. They didn't seem much different than the Vikings.  
Hiccup had spent about 10 minutes of just walking around, not knowing where to go, when a thought hit him: What was he supposed to be looking _for_? His father never gave him any instructions and nothing here was giving him any hints.  
He quickly ducked behind a tent trying to get a minute to get his head together, when he bumped into someone else.  
"Oh my gosh! I'm so-" Hiccup stopped, he had bumped into a girl. She was wearing a gorgeous light blue dress with gold and white trimming, and had the most amazing red, curly hair. Hiccup had never seen anyone like her before.  
"Shhh!" She said, covering his mouth, "My mum'll hear you!" She uncovered his mouth.  
"Sorry. I didn't mean to…" He trailed.  
"It's fine. I haven't seen you around here before."  
Hiccup felt his stomach drop, "Yeah I um… I live kind of out of the way."  
She looked at him suspiciously, and Hiccup could tell she didn't believe him, "W'as your name?"  
"My name… Um… Aidan." Hiccup lied. Luckily, he had read up on some Scottish history (including a fake name if he needed it… Which he did). He didn't feel right about lying to this girl but what choice did he have?  
"Aidan, huh? My name's Merida." She smiled at the boy.  
He felt butterflies in his stomach. The girl was beautiful.  
"So, are you from around here?" Hiccup asked.  
The girl laughed, "I 'spose you could say that."  
Hiccup smiled at her, he could listen to her talk all day, "So what's this party about anyway?"  
She looked at him curiously, "You don't know?"  
Hiccup shook his head.  
She looked at him with new found suspicion, "It's for-"  
"Merida! There you are! What do you think you're doing here? You're supposed to be meeting with suitors!" A brunette woman with long hair and a sparkling blue gown came marching over toward Merida. In the dark it was hard to see the woman's face.  
Hiccup felt like he had just been punched in the stomach. _Suitors_? He had been talking to the princess and hadn't even known it!  
Merida groaned, "Mum, not now."  
"And who is this?" The woman turned to Hiccup. Hiccup had had enough conversations with his father to know that she was trying to hold back her irritation with Merida because he was there.  
Hiccup was still in shock. How had he not recognized her? She was the _princess. _This was the girl whose kingdom he was trying to bring down and he had just been sitting here talking to her like they were friends!  
"This is my friend Aidan." Merida explained, saving Hiccup from the awkward silence.  
"I haven't seen you around here before. Are you with one of the other clans?"  
"No I um… I live here… But not 'here' here. I mean, away from here but still here." Hiccup rambled for a moment.  
The woman seemed confused but simply nodded, "Right. Merida, you need to go and find these suitors right away. A lady does not keep her guests waiting." She turned and walked away.  
Merida stuck her tongue out at the woman, "Sorry, I have to go. When can I see you again?"  
Hiccup looked at her shocked, "Y-you wanna see me again?"  
"Yes. Meet me tomorrow night. In the woods. Look for the big oak." She said, quickly.  
"MERIDA!" The woman popped back in and whispered harshly at Merida.  
"Coming!" Merida responded, walking off toward the woman. But not without looking back at Hiccup and giving him one last smile. Just like that, she was gone.  
Hiccup collapsed on the ground, sitting, and just staring at his feet.  
_The princess, the enemy princess… Wants to see me again._


	3. Chapter 3

After Merida left, Hiccup couldn't be back behind that tent anymore. He pushed out from behind the tent only to be thrust in the middle of the party. He was being shoved by Scotts left and right, and he quickly lost his sense of direction.  
"EVERYONE! EVERYONE QUIET!" A booming voice yelled. Hiccup turned to see a man with bushy red hair like Merida's.  
_That must be her father._ Hiccup suddenly felt sick to his stomach. He had gotten in way over his head.  
"Now that all the clansmen are here, I'd like to discuss the marriage of my lovely daughter Merida!" The kingdom burst out into thunderous applause.  
Hiccup had a clear view. Merida was slumped in her seat, looking annoyed at everything. She looked as beautiful as ever, even more so now that he could see her better. He saw she had beautiful blue eyes and freckles littering her face. It took him a while to realize that he was smiling.  
"Would the suitors please, step forward? Young Macguffen!" Loud applause sounded from the left of Hiccup as a large blonde walked on the stage. He looked like he was about to run off the stage in fear "Young Dingwall!" The applause came from the right of Hiccup this time. The blonde who walked across the stage looked like he had no idea where he was. Hiccup tried not to laugh at the first two that walked out. He didn't even know Merida, but he knew she deserved better than these two, and from the look on her face she knew it too. "Young Macintosh!" The applause sounded from all around him, and girl's shrieked right in his ear. A guy with curly brown hair walked out, he was muscular and clearly had the ability to get any girl he wanted. For a minute, Hiccup wasn't sure if he should be threatened by this guy but from the look on Merida's face, he didn't have to be.  
Hiccup shook the thought out of his head. He didn't have to be threatened by anyone. Him and Merida weren't going to-  
Before he could even finish that thought he was sneaking off into the woods. Once he was safely in the tree line he started running. Running toward the big oak where Toothless was sleeping next to his fish basket that he had knocked over.  
"SHE'S THE PRINCESS? OF ALL THE PEOPLE FOR ME TO- HOW IS SHE THE… AGHH!" Hiccup kicked the stump of a tree, "What am I gonna do? I can't see her! Even if I did… I lied to her… I lied a lot… I'd have to lie even more if I even wanted to see her again!" Hiccup hit his forehead against a tree in frustration.  
There was a small whispering. Something too small for Toothless to make. Hiccup looked up to see a small blue… Thing floating to Hiccup's right… Leading back to the castle.  
Toothless growled at the small creature, ready to attack. Hiccup quickly began petting the dragon to calm him down, "I don't think he's gonna hurt us, buddy. Calm down." The dragon backed down, but refused to leave his rider's side.  
Hiccup walked slowly up to the floating blue ghost, only to have it disappear when he got too close, "Wait! Come back!" He called out to nothing.  
The creature appeared further away from him… They were leading him somewhere.  
"Toothless, c'mon. They're trying to lead us somewhere!" Hiccup jumped on the dragon and began following the blue creatures from the air. Luckily, they were still visible through the sky.  
Even though Hiccup knew they were leading them to the castle, he didn't know why. He had just started to think that maybe he should just go home… And now this.  
Just before they got to the castle, the last blue ghost floated gently above a window. The room was on the tallest tower, the very top room. Hiccup guided Toothless to the window. Without making too much noise, Hiccup peered into the window and saw Merida.  
Embarrassingly enough, she was wearing a light blue night gown, carving something into her bow. She looked stunning as usual.  
_Why did they lead me here? _Hiccup wondered. Cautiously, he knocked on her window.  
Merida jumped. She walked slowly over to one side of her room, grabbed her sword, then walked over to the window, only opening it a bit, "Who's there?"  
"It's me. Hi- Aidan." Hiccup said, he didn't know this girl yet lying felt wrong to him.  
"Aidan? What the heck are ye doin' here!" Merida said, dropping her weapon.  
"I um… I…" Hiccup hadn't planned this far ahead.  
"Wait… How are you staying up here?"  
"What? Oh.., Right, Merida… This is Toothless."  
Merida peered out her window to get a better look. She gasped, "That's a dragon! You- You're riding a dragon!"  
Hiccup smiled at the way her eyes lit up, "Wanna go for a ride?"  
She looked at him, "Ride… The dragon? Ride on the dragon, with you?"  
He nodded up at her, "Unless, you know, your suitors wouldn't want you too." He teased her.  
She smirked at him, put her sword down and jumped on the dragon's back, "So where are we going, dragon boy?"  
Hiccup smiled back at the girl, butterflies filling his stomach as she wrapped her arms around his waist, "Where ever you want, princess."


	4. Chapter 4

Merida clung to the young boy, "So any plans to go somewhere specific?" She said, wrapping her arms around Hiccup's waist.  
He smiled, "He'll take us somewhere, we just have to trust him."  
Merida smiled and looked down at the lights left up from earlier, "I never dreamed I'd be seeing this place from here."  
Hiccup looked back at her, she seemed almost sad, "Is that a bad thing?"  
"No." She seemed distracted.  
Hiccup looked down at his dragon, who was looking at him. The dragon got the message in Hiccup's eyes 'We need to be alone.'  
The dragon didn't disappoint. He found an isolated island that seemed to be in the middle of the ocean.  
"Aidan, what are we doing here?" She asked when they landed.  
Hiccup looked at her, he hated when she called him by that name but for the time being she couldn't know who he was, "You wanted to get to get away, that's what Toothless and I are here for."  
"Ye don't even know me!" She joked.  
"I know when people want away from something, believe me."  
They flew in comfortable silence until Hiccup spotted a lone island off in the distance, it all looked to be completely level, with only one small forest in the center of the island, surrounded by white sandy shores, "How does over there look?"  
"Perfect!" Merida smiled.  
They landed on the shore of the island, Merida jumped off the dragon and ran to the shore, letting the water lap at her feet. Hiccup smiled, as he watched the girl happily let the warm water cover her feet.  
She turned to Hiccup, smiling widely, "Aidan, this is amazing!"  
He smiled at her, "I'm glad you like it. So… You know I have to ask about the whole… Suitor thing… Right?"  
Merida's smile dimmed, but she walked over to Hiccup. She sat down across from him, "Well, isn't it obvious? I'm the princess! I have to marry one of the lord's sons. I just want my freedom, and I want to find someone for myself."  
Hiccup felt his face turn red, as he silently thanked the darkness, "Well… Why those lords? What makes them so special?"  
Merida shrugged, "We have an alliance with them. If I don't marry one of them our clans could go back to war, then if the Vikings attacked we're all defenseless."  
Hiccup's stomach jumped. 'Great. This makes everything much simpler.' He thought, "Well… What about the Vikings?"  
"What about them?" Merida asked, confused.  
"Well I mean, doesn't the Viking chief have a son? What about him?"  
Merida scoffed, "My dad would never let that happen! Besides, I've never even met him. And from what I heard most of those Vikings are more interested in killing than marriage."  
"Not all Vikings are like that…" Hiccup said, quietly, dragging a stick across the sand.  
Merida looked over at Hiccup, studying his face. Hiccup could feel her eyes roaming his face intently, but he couldn't look at her, "Aidan… That's… That's not your name… Is it?"  
Hiccup felt his stomach drop. 'Oh-no.'


	5. Chapter 5

Hiccup felt his stomach drop and his face burn (he thanked the darkness silently) "Wh-what?"  
Merida looked him in the eye, "No Scott would ever defend the Vikings. No one has dragons around here. You didn't know I was the princess. You don't look like the rest of us. You talk differently. Who are you?"  
Hiccup looked up at her. She didn't look mad. She looked… curious? "I- I already told you."  
"Yeah, and you gave me a fake name. I'll give it to you that you're a good liar, I believed you up until you defended the Vikings." Merida stood up and crossed her arms, "I understand if you're trying to run away from something, just stop lying to me."  
Hiccup buried his face into his hands, he couldn't think of a way to escape this conversation. Why? Why did he defend the Vikings when he was pretending to be a Scott?!  
He sighed, "My name… My name isn't Aidan."  
"Well I got that much." Merida retorted, putting her hands on her hips.  
Hiccup looked up at her, "I can't tell you my name. I'm sorry, but no one can know I'm here."  
Merida's mouth formed into a hard line. She turned on her heel and looked out into the ocean. "Then why are you here?" She said after a while.  
"I can't answer that. This is complicated… Really, really complicated."  
She sighed, "Take me home."  
Hiccup looked at her. He didn't know this girl, at all, but he knew he couldn't lose her. He didn't want to take her back to the castle. He wanted to sit down with her and tell her everything and come clean but he knew she would tell her dad that he was spying and, basically, planning an attack on her people. He knew taking her back would be the best option for now. "Alright." He said.  
On the ride back, Merida opted to hold on to Toothless' rough back rather than Hiccup's waist. The ride was quiet and awkward, and Hiccup knew he couldn't fix it right then.  
They eventually made their way back to the castle, and Merida hopped off the dragon and into her room.  
Before she could slam the window shut in Hiccup's face he blurted, "Merida, I can't tell you everything right now… But I _will _explain everything to you eventually. Just trust me." He looked her in the eyes.  
Merida looked back, "I can't wait forever." She said, and shut the window.  
Hiccup and Toothless hovered for a minute, Hiccup taking in the intensity of her words. She was right.  
"Let's go, bud." Hiccup said, quietly to the dragon.

Back at their campground, Hiccup started up a fire and was cooking some fish he caught for himself and Toothless. Hiccup heard a small screech above head. He looked up to see a Terrible Terror dropping from the sky. The small dragon landed beside Hiccup and looked up at him expectantly.  
After scanning the dragon for a minute, Hiccup noticed a letter attached to his leg. He detached the note, gave him a fish and the dragon curled up beside the fire.  
Hiccup unrolled the letter and read  
_Hiccup,_

_ We're running low on supplies and we need to begin getting weapons if we're going to be attacking DunBroch soon. Astrid and the others have been working with the dragons in your absence in order to use them as a weapon against DunBroch. We need more information though. Tell us the second you find any weaknesses. We sent Spitlout to do some research, and we found out there's a princess there around your age. Get in good terms with her. _

_ Good luck, son._

Hiccup scanned the letter 3 times before sighing and burying his face in his hands. So now his father was telling him to get close to Merida to just betray her in the end. But he didn't want to do that. He didn't want to hurt Merida. He knew he had dug himself in way too deep. He yelled at the sky. Not yelling anything, just getting out his anger.  
When he had finished getting his anger out he dropped to his knees. He turned to his dragon, who stared curiously at the frustrated boy.  
Hiccup quickly scribbled back a reply stating he had found nothing yet, but he was working on finding a weakness in DunBroch. He also said he'd be working as fast as he could and would write to him as soon as he found something.  
He strapped the letter onto the small dragon's leg, and sent him off. He knew he was too tired to think of a plan. He called it a night and curled up in a blanket next to the fire, and beside his dragon.  
He'd think of something tomorrow.


	6. Chapter 6

**Written from Merida's P.O.V. :D Enjoy!**

**(Also for those of you who care here's my tumblr that's more of the place where I update like if I'm behind on stuff. Also it's just where I reblog pictures of Hiccup and Merida and both of them together. Kbye)**

The next morning Merida woke up cocooned in her blankets. She couldn't stop thinking about "Aidan". She didn't know why she was getting so worked up over this kid. She didn't even know his name! But there was something about him… Something she couldn't let go of. She groaned and turned on her back, staring at her ceiling. 'Why do you care about this kid? He wouldn't even tell you his name!' She scolded herself in her mind. 'Well he must have a good reason if he isn't. I trust this kid.' She argued back. 'You're both idiots.' Her third party thought said.  
"Princess!" A voice called.  
Merida heard her door open anyway, "Princess it's time to get up!" She heard Maudie sing-song as she walked across the room to open her curtains.  
Merida groaned.

"Oh, come on now. You're mother's planned an exciting lesson for you today!" Maudie said, bringing over a tray of food for the red head.

"Can't wait." Merida said, irritably biting into an apple.

After her breakfast, she got dressed in her dark blue-green dress and went to the study.

"You're late." Her mother scolded.

Merida didn't say anything, she was too tired from her late night with "Aidan" to have any energy to fight back.

Her mother, who apparently didn't notice anything, dropped a thick book on Merida's desk. The book was an ugly brown and smelled like it hadn't been touched in decades.

"Merida, with recent events involving the Vikings, against my better judgement, your father thinks you need to learn about the enemy in case…"

'In case you both are killed…' Merida finished in her mind.

"Well, no matter. Anyway, everything we have ever known about the Vikings to date is written in this book. This book was started when your great-great-great grandfather-"

And with that Merida had no interest in paying attention to what her mother was saying. She opened the dusty old book, 'The Hairy Hooligan Tribe' was the title page. There were multiple drawings of some of the Vikings of recent times, drawn by spies from DunBroch. There were notes all over the book. Everything from what they wear, to the weapons they use, to their livestock and crops… Everything they could possibly need!

The book wasn't boring as Merida first thought. It had some interesting war tactics in it that Merida thought, with a little tweaking, could have some real potential.

As she scanned the book further she noticed someone who looked very familiar. It was "Aidan". He was with someone who appeared to be his father.

Stoick the Vast (chief) shown with son Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III

It was him! It was Aidan (Or should she say Hiccup) standing beside his father wearing a horned helmet.

Merida felt her stomach drop. He was the chief's son?! She was starting to fall in love with the chief's son? Granted, not much had happened romantically… But that didn't matter! Her heart started to beat faster, and it felt like the room was spinning. What was going on? Why was the chief's son here?

"Mum! I have to go somewhere. And I need this." Merida said so suddenly her mother jumped with surprise.

"Merida! Merida, wait!" Her mother called after her.

She didn't stop until she was at Angus's stall, saddling up to go out and find… Hiccup. It felt strange to refer to him as that.

She shoved the book in the horse's side pouch, and took off out of the kingdom. She started thinking about what he could be doing here. If he was thinking about joining their kingdom they'd never let a Viking in.  
"Go to the big oak, Angus!" Merida yelled out over Angus's thundering hooves.

Merida was about a 5 minute walk from where the big oak where she knew Hiccup and his dragon where. Her anger was growing with each stride. "Whoa, Angus." She stopped the horse, tied him to a tree, grabbed the book, and walked the rest of the way there.

She peered around a tree when she heard someone who sounded like "Aidan" talking to his dragon.

She decided to test something out, "Hiccup!" She yelled. She heard a basket drop, and turned to see the young boy standing frozen with fear.  
"H-Hello?" He called out.

"I KNEW IT!" She yelled.

Hiccup jumped, "Merida?!"

She yanked the book open to the page she needed, "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III? You! You're the chief's son! Why are you here?!" She said, throwing the book at him.

He stumbled with it for a second before realizing he couldn't hide it anymore, "Yeah… Yeah that's me. But-but I… How did you…?"

"It's in the book! Why didn't you just tell me?!" Merida said, throwing her arms wildly to get her emotions out.

"In my defense, a Viking in Highlander territory wasn't going to end well no matter how you found out!"

Merida looked at the boy for a long time, thinking. "Take me back to that island you took me last night."

"What? Right now?"

"No! After I'm married off to one of the lord's sons and stuck behind a throne; YES RIGHT NOW!" She said sarcastically.

Hiccup smirked, "As you wish, princess." He saddled up.

Merida was just happy she could finally get the whole truth, and Hiccup was happy he could get some alone time with Merida to make her not hate him.


	7. Chapter 7

**(I'm sorry I haven't updated in forever :c in case you don't follow me on Tumblr it's because my laptop screen cracked. But I found a solution so I'm back and I will make this chapter worth it :D)**

Hiccup tried to help the young princess on his dragon, but she only swatted his hand away. He knew why, he had lied to her and continued to lie but he wanted to make things right. He sighed, knowing things wouldn't be okay with them until he fully explained.

Hiccup swiftly jumped on Toothless's back, he waited for Merida to grab his waist, but he held on to the dragon's saddle instead. He knew it was stupid, but it hurt him.

"Let's go." He said solemnly to the dragon. They took off into the sky and Hiccup felt the familiar sensation of flying through the air with Toothless by his side. Now that Merida was here and he knew that this could be the last time she ever wanted to speak to him again, it made the flight much less fun.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Hiccup spotted the island he had taken the princess the first time they had a minute alone.

"Toothless, down there!" He instructed. The dragon dive bombed to the island and softly landed on the soft sand. Merida jumped off immediately, and Hiccup's stomach turned. He knew this wouldn't end well.

"So… Hiccup?" The princess started, "What, exactly, is it you want with us?"

Hiccup shrugged, knowing he couldn't very well say 'I was told to come here by my dad to spy on you so we could attack your family and your people'… "I needed to get out." Not _exactly _a lie.

Merida looked at him, "But why here?"

Hiccup sighed… He couldn't lie to her, "Because my father told me to. Merida… You're not safe here anymore."

She took a step back in shock, "What?"

Hiccup looked around, for no real reason, "I can't tell you why. And I'm sorry, you just have to believe me that you can't stay here."

Merida scoffed, "I've been telling myself that for years, and yet here I am. I've tried running away and I never get very far."

Hiccup looked at the princess, then to his dragon. With a sudden burst of courage he said, "I'll take you."

She looked at him and laughed, "You lied to me about your _name_ you really expect me to trust you with myself? You're a Viking! The chief's son who was sent here for some unknown reason that makes me not safe! How do I know you're not going to take me back to your village and turn me in or hold me for ransom?" She crossed her arms across her chest.

Hiccup couldn't help but think her scowl was adorable, he walked up to her, "I know, I lied to you. I was trying to protect myself. But I would never do anything like that to you."

He noticed that Merida was blushing, just slightly, "How am I supposed to trust you then? With you trying to protect yourself."

He looked down, "Because I want to protect you, more."

He noticed Merida's face turn even redder than the soft pink it had been before, she couldn't even look at the young Viking out of embarrassment.

Hiccup lifted the girl's chin to look into her blue eyes, he didn't have to say anything to know what he wanted.

He lowered his lips to the girls and felt the fireworks that he had heard so many people talk about. He had always assumed it was a figure of speech. He had never felt it with Astrid and maybe now he knew why. She wasn't the one for him. But things were different with Merida. He knew it was stupid to think this way. He had only just met the girl but he felt something pulling him toward her.

Hiccup was sure Merida would hit him for doing this, but to his surprise he wrapped her arms around his neck. Hiccup wrapped his arms around the girl's waist, while trying to keep his balance on both his feet. He just didn't want to accidentally push the girl in anyway. Maybe he was thinking too much about this one thing, but this was one thing that meant the world to him at this moment. At that point, it felt like there was nothing else in the world. No family in Berk counting on him, no mother on Merida's side to take her away from him, no Astrid, no Snotlout, nothing. It was just him and Merida.

And right now, that's all he wanted.


End file.
